Reading Thai road signs

Thai is written without spaces between words, vowels can sit before, after, above or below a consonant, and several letters stand for the same sound. Town names are short, though, and the same pieces come back again and again.

Highway signs in Thailand usually give the English too, but smaller roads often show Thai only. Learn the common letters and vowel signs and เชียงใหม่ (Chiang Mai) or กระบี่ (Krabi) read themselves.

Thai at a glance

Thai is the script of Thailand. It is read left to right, has no capital letters, and leaves no spaces between the words of a name.

Each syllable is built on a consonant, and its vowel can sit before, after, above or below it.

Everyday consonants

Thai has 44 consonants, but many of them share a sound. Start with these.

• กk
• งng
• ดd
• ตt
• นn
• บb
• ปp
• มm
• ยy
• รr
• ลl
• วw
• สs
• หh

An h means a breath

In the Latin spelling an h after k, t, p or c is a puff of breath, not a new sound: ท is a breathy t, not the th in “think”, and พ a breathy p, not an f.

Several letters share each of these sounds.

• ขkh
• คkh
• ฉch
• ชch
• ถth
• ทth
• ธth
• ผph
• พph
• ภph

Vowels go all around

A vowel sign can sit on any side of its consonant. เ แ โ ไ ใ are written before it but read after it: ไก is kai, โก is ko.

With no vowel written at all, read a short ‘a’ or ‘o’.

• กาka
• กิki
• กีki
• กุku
• กูku
• เกke
• แกkae
• โกko
• ไกkai
• กอko
• เกียkia
• กำkam

Endings are clipped

At the end of a syllable only k, t, p, n, m and ng are heard, so many letters change their sound there.

• ก ข ค-k
• ด ต ท-t
• จ ช ส-t
• บ ป พ-p
• น ร ล ญ-n

Marks you can skip

The small marks over a letter set the tone of the syllable. Latin spellings leave them out, and so can you.

The mark in ก์ is different: it silences its letter, and sometimes the one before it too.

• ก่k
• ก้k
• ก๊k
• ก๋k
• ก์–

Two consonants together

At the start of a syllable two consonants can be read together: กร is kr, ปร pr, คล khl.

Elsewhere, two consonants in a row usually hide a short vowel between them.

• กรkr
• ปรpr
• พรphr
• ตรtr
• กลkl
• คลkhl

Look-alikes

Many letters differ only in a small detail, a tail or a notch. Look closely at these pairs.

• บb
• ปp
• ดd
• ตt
• ผph
• ฝf
• พph
• ฟf
• ถth
• ภph
• ขkh
• ชch

Name parts worth knowing

Some pieces come back again and again. Spot them and half the name is read.

Bangkok is signed by its Thai name, กรุงเทพมหานคร, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon. And เกาะ is often written Koh. When you type, either one counts.

Try it

Which city is on the sign?

All the letters

Consonants

• กk
• ขkh
• คkh
• ฆkh
• งng
• จch
• ฉch
• ชch
• ซs
• ฌch
• ญy
• ฎd
• ฏt
• ฐth
• ฑth
• ฒth
• ณn
• ดd
• ตt
• ถth
• ทth
• ธth
• นn
• บb
• ปp
• ผph
• ฝf
• พph
• ฟf
• ภph
• มm
• ยy
• รr
• ลl
• วw
• ศs
• ษs
• สs
• หh
• ฬl
• อ–
• ฮh

Vowels, shown on ก

• กะka
• กาka
• กิki
• กีki
• กึkue
• กืkue
• กุku
• กูku
• เกke
• แกkae
• โกko
• กอko
• เกอkoe
• เกียkia
• เกือkuea
• กัวkua
• ไกkai
• ใกkai
• เกาkao
• กำkam

Digits

• ๐0
• ๑1
• ๒2
• ๓3
• ๔4
• ๕5
• ๖6
• ๗7
• ๘8
• ๙9

A vowel sits before, above, below or after its consonant. With no vowel written, read a or o.

At the end of a syllable only k, t, p, n, m and ng are heard: จ ช ซ ส ด ต ท become t, บ ป พ ฟ become p, ญ ร ล become n.

The small marks on top (as in ก่ ก้ ก๊ ก๋) are tones and do not change the Latin spelling. The mark in ก์ silences its letter.

The 200 places in the quiz

The quiz has 200 towns of Thailand: all 77 provincial capitals plus the larger and better-known towns, islands and border crossings.